ArticlePloS one2023
Ramadan during pregnancy and neonatal health-Fasting, dietary composition and sleep patterns.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Intermittent Fasting During Pregnancy and Neonatal Birth Weight: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Sex-Specific Responses to Intermittent Fasting: A Narrative Review Across Physiological, Clinical, and Psychosocial Contexts.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Overdiagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus during Ramadan: a retrospective population-based study in Catalonia, Spain.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Effects of Ramadan fasting during third trimester on Doppler indices, non-stress test of fetus and perinatal outcomes.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Ramadan During Pregnancy and Offspring Age at Menarche in Indonesia: A Quasi-Experimental Study.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Ramadan during pregnancy and the role of dietary intake for neonatal health in Kaduna, Northwestern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- The impact of healthcare provision on immigrant pregnancy behaviors: the case of Ramadan fasting in Germany.Journal of migration and health · 2025Article
- Exploring the impact of Ramadan fasting on women's reproductive health: A narrative review.Women's health (London, England)Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesLarge shares of pregnant Muslims worldwide observe the Ramadan fast. Previous research showed that Ramadan during pregnancy is associated with adverse offspring health outcomes lasting throughout the life-course. Evidence on effects on birth outcomes is inconclusive, however, and previous research did not consider the role of dietary composition and sleep patterns during Ramadan. This study systematically documents maternal lifestyle during Ramadan and assesses if diet and sleep adaptations to Ramadan, independent of and in addition to maternal fasting, are associated with neonatal health outcomes.
methodsThis study reports a survey of 326 Muslims who delivered their baby in Mainz, Germany, linked to maternal & infant hospital records. Participants reported on fasting, dietary composition and sleep schedules while pregnant during Ramadan.
resultsFasting during pregnancy was associated with reduced birthweight, in particular for fasting during the first trimester (-352ˑ92g, 95% CI: -537ˑ38; -168ˑ46). Neither dietary composition nor altered sleep were directly associated with birthweight. However, dietary composition during Ramadan outside of fasting hours seems to moderate the fasting-birthweight association, which disappeared for women switching to high-fat diets.
conclusionsThe finding that dietary intake during Ramadan potentially moderates the fasting-birthweight association is of high relevance to pregnant Muslims who wish to fast and their healthcare professionals, since dietary choices outside of fasting hours are often relatively easily modifiable. This is the first study to include information on maternal diet and sleep during Ramadan, and additional research is needed to assess the roles of specific (macro)nutrients and food groups.
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